Commissioners fill vacancies in housing authority and MH/MR

By: Eric Poole, Ledger Staff

Thursday

Jun 30, 2011 at 12:01 AM

NEW BEAVER - The Lawrence County Commissioners filled two vacant positions Tuesday during their weekly meeting, with the appointment of Latoya Scott to the county housing authority and the promotion of Joe Vanasco to director of the county department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation.

The commissioners met Tuesday night in New Beaver as part of their series of outreach meetings throughout the county.

Scott, who lives in the Neshannock Village public housing complex in New Castle, will fill the housing authority seat reserved for a public housing resident. She replaces Dennis Robbins, who died earlier this year.

County Commissioner Dan Vogler said Scott, a school bus driver, was chosen for the authority from among three other applicants. Former Ellwood City Police Chief William Betz, who now is a caseworker for the Lawrence County Department of Children and Youth Services, is the authority chairman.

In the MH/MR department, Vanasco replaces former Director John Klenotic, who retired last year after more than 30 years working for the county. After Klenotic's retirement, assistant director John Carran worked as acting director, and Vogler said Carran did "a great job."

But state requirements for the MH/MR director position eliminated Carran from contention, Vogler said. He will return to his previous position as the department's fiscal director.

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